Demographics of Israel
The demographics of Israel, monitored by the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics, encompass various attributes that define the nation's populace. Since its establishment in 1948, Israel has witnessed significant changes in its demographics. Initially formed as a homeland for the Jewish people following the Holocaust in World War II, Israel has attracted Jewish immigrants from around the globe. Consequently, the Jewish population in Israel is incredibly diverse, with roots spanning Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas.
| Demographics of Israel (incl. Israelis in West Bank) | |
|---|---|
Population pyramid of Israel, 2023 (numbers by age group) | |
| Population | 9,842,000 (ca. 95th) |
| • Year | December 2023 |
| • Source | Israeli CBS |
| Density | 431/km2 (6th) |
| Growth rate | 1.9% |
| Birth rate | 21.5 births/1,000 (101st) |
| Death rate | 5.2 deaths/1,000 population (174th) |
| Life expectancy | 82.7 years (8th) |
| • male | 80.7 years |
| • female | 84.6 years |
| Fertility rate | 3.01 children born/woman (59th) |
| Infant mortality rate | 4.03 deaths/1,000 live births (25th) |
| Age structure | |
| 0–14 years | 28% |
| 15–64 years | 60% |
| 65 and over | 12% |
| Sex ratio | |
| Total | 1.01 males/female |
| At birth | 1.05 males/female |
| Under 15 | 1.05 males/female |
| 15–64 years | 1.03 males/female |
| 65 and over | 0.78 males/female |
| Nationality | |
| Nationality | Israelis |
| Major ethnic | Jews (7,208,000, 73.6%), Arab/Palestinian (2,080,000, 21.1%) |
| Minor ethnic | Other (non-Jewish, non-Arab) 554,000 (5.7%) |
| Language | |
| Official | Hebrew |
| Spoken | Arabic, Russian, Yiddish |
The Israel Central Bureau of Statistics defines the population of Israel as including Jews living in all of the West Bank and Palestinians in East Jerusalem but excluding Palestinians anywhere in the rest of the West Bank (Judea and Samaria), the Gaza Strip, and foreign workers anywhere in Israel. As of December 2023, this calculation stands at approximately 9,842,000 million, of whom:
- 73.2% (about 7,208,000 people) are Jews, including about 503,000 living outside the self-defined borders of the State of Israel in the West Bank
- 21.1% (around 2,080,000 people) are Israeli citizens classified as Arab, some identifying as Palestinian, and including Druze, Circassians, all other Muslims, Christian Arabs, Armenians (which Israel considers "Arab")
- An additional 5.7% (roughly 554,000 people) are classified as "others". This diverse group comprises those with Jewish ancestry but not recognized as Jewish by religious law, non-Jewish family members of Jewish immigrants, Christians other than Arabs and Armenians, and residents without a distinct ethnic or religious categorization.
Israel's annual population growth rate stood at 2.0% in 2015, more than three times faster than the OECD average of around 0.6%. With an average of three children per woman, Israel also has the highest fertility rate in the OECD by a considerable margin and much higher than the OECD average of 1.7.